Tag Archives: 24 hours in San Francisco

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I’ve realized it’s next to impossible to share every priceless moment I’ve had on my adventures. If I were reading your trip recap, I’d find it more exciting to see your thrills and spills – the glorious highlights that MADE your trip. Cheers to hoping the name sticks – I wanted to share my 11 favorite moments from my recent trip to San Fran.

It was crazy. S & I both got off work early that Sunday and had a couple days off. The flights were wide open (good news for standbyers like me). As simple as the second star to the right, then straight on till morning. *only the star was a CRJ to Charlotte. So off we went. Here’s our highlights.

1. The Ferry Building

S & I walked from Fisherman’s Wharf, past 39 piers all the way to this gem. I had to stop to catch my breath, and by that I mean get Starbucks. Just standing here for 15 minutes, I probably counted 8 brightly colored cable cars. It made the hike worth it.

2. Pier 39

So the hike kicked my butt because I was actually stuffed. We ate lunch at Pier 39 and all I wanted to do was flop in the sun like these handsome men. We watched in just enough to watch the skinny sea lion lift his head to glare at the boat for disrupting his quiet.

3. Cupid’s Span

I’m not gonna lie, I had no idea what this sculpture was called until I looked it up just now. All that matters is that it was Huge. AND, there was a woman playing with the happiest black poodle I’ve ever seen in my life. Dog was straight frolicking – I should have got it on video, it would have gone viral. #sanfrandogsarehappydogs

4. Boardwalk at Pier 39.

If you walk all the way out on the boardwalk past the sea lions and the boat docking, you can see Alcatraz straight ahead. But if you look straight down, you see the single best advice I’ve ever seen in my life. OK, if you insist.

5. Same Boardwalk, Different Angle

Selfie down by the bay. I saw no watermelons….

7. Fisherman’s Wharf

So, I’m not saying skip the touristy stuff. Do that, because when is the next time you’ll be a tourist in San Fran? However, if you walk straight ahead through the crowd and shops and look to your left, there’s the Musee Mecanique. This is a warehouse PACKED with ancient coin-operated arcade games. By the way, Julia Andrews and Anne Hathaway arm wrestled there…

8. The Wharf at Night

We were supposed to be on a flight back home at midnight. We landed that morning at 12:35am, slept till 9am, inhaled the city thinking we only had 12 hours on the ground. When we realized the midnight flight was overbooked, we stopped jogging and tried to enjoy our last few hours in San Francisco. This was right after dinner, as S & I were heading back to our cable car. If we weren’t so freaking exhausted, it would have been extremely romantic.

9. Our Cable Car

This gem was my very first cable car. I am a true tourist now, and I can’t wait to ride them ALL! This was also my sweet salvation at the end of our 12 hour tour of SF. As much as I adored our trek through the city, I was so excited to ride this trolley back to the hotel. I slept like a BABY that night.

10. Thank you San Francisco,

for the sunburn, the sweat, the stinky fish smell, the weird locals, the overpriced souvenirs and the best first West Coast Experience a girl could have ever asked for. Thank you San Francisco!

11. But No Thank You’s to SFO Airport

Never complaining again about a hotel. After being rolled off of 9 Standby Lists on anything flying Eastbound, we finally got on a flight to New York City… Flew into JFK to take a little 1am power nap. Couldn’t sleep. Ran the halls of JFK like loose animals. Then we taxied to La Guardia, where we realized security isn’t open at 3am. So we slept on the cold tile outside security like a homeless person. (probably with homeless persons… I didn’t ask the others sleeping in that hallway). Boarded the flight to Nashville where we rented a car and drowsy drove our way to Knoxville.

FINALLY we made it home with one of the most epic last-minute adventure stories of the year. Cheers to ALWAYS saying yes to adventure and dealing with the repercussions later.